Footsteps in the Sand
by Missing Snowman
Summary: The 10th Doctor's final stand. He will knock four times.... The Doctor's haunted by the past, and the drums.
1. Chapter 1

**Just an idea for the 10th Doctor's end; will be six parts, flashes between the present and the events that lead there - because the story's about memory and I didn't feel like being linear :)**

**Spoilers for Torchwood: Children of Earth Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or Torchwood.**

**Enjoy, if you can, and let me know what you think :)**

**Foorsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter One**

The Doctor lay his head back in the red sand. He was exhausted. The door of the TARDIS was open, beckoning him to come, to continue. He looked at the stars that carelessly littered the sky, sparkling bright in the thin atmosphere of the planet, even though one of the suns was already up. He knew them all, and some of them regretted it.

Captain Jack Harkness lay dead on the floor next to him. The Doctor breathed the rusty air, gasping for something that might quench his thirsting lungs. He turned his head to the side and coughed blood onto his already torn and blooded shirt. He had worn his best tie today too, it had been a special occasion.

___________________________________________________________________

_The Doctor fidgeted with his blue tie, trying to set it straight. The TARDIS juddered and he flicked a few switches then tried to catch his reflection in the monitor. He combed his fringe with his fingers, trying to avoid pouting having imagined the response of his previous incarnation. The TARDIS shuddered again, the Doctor frowned now, this was clear space. He flicked on the monitor and a map of the galaxy he was drifting through freckled his reflection. The doctor put his glasses on and frowned._

"_What is it, girl?" he muttered under his breath._

_A red dot pulsed on a small planet in orbit around the closest star._

_Beep-beep-beep-beep_

_Well that was worth a look, he conceded, the TARDIS was very particular about her maps._

_He set course for the planet, and pulled on his jacket doing the buttons up with dismay as his noticed its rather distant orbit. He gripped the controls now, he wanted to get as close to the dot as possible - he ran to the opposite side of the consol and pulled a heavy leaver, pressing buttons on his way. He gripped the sides of the consol as the TARDIS rocked and worked his way back towards the monitor. He gripped it in both hands like a face, the TARDIS juddered and stopped whirring._

"_Perfect," he rang cheerfully._

_He opened the TARDIS door onto a cold landscape of frozen rocks and sleet. He scanned the view, tucking his hands under his arm pits and relishing the warmth of the humming TARDIS at his back. Then he spotted him. Sitting frozen against a rock was Captain Jack Harkness. _

"_Ah," he said, the weather being too cold for consonants. That explained the TARDIS' reaction, maybe she liked him after all; she had sensed his anomaly in time. He walked briskly towards Jack, pulled his frozen coat from the rock and dragged his rigid body quickly into the TARDIS and shut the door behind him._

_He rubbed his hands together to warm them and crouched over Jack. His eyes were completely frozen. Well he'd better put the kettle on then, he thought._

__________________________________________________________________

The second sun emerged red on the horizon, shining on the empty tundra.

He looked to Jack who seemed peaceful in his momentary death, but even as the Doctor watched a deep red gash across Jack's face began to knit itself together. The Doctor's genes began to tingle. He coughed painfully, yet this time - as he stirred the blood red dust - his breath wisped golden into the air. He lifted his heavy hands to his face and saw them beginning to emit a golden light. They fell back to his side as the energy travelled up his spine and his body tried to arch while his feet dug into the sand, he tried not to writher. He fell back as the energy deserted him, momentarily. He breathed the dry air heavily, it was like labour pains he thought.

Jack heaved a deep breath and opened his eyes wide. His lungs clawed at the air, and breathed deep. He looked over to the Doctor as his breathing slowed, his mouth was open in shock at the past few hours, and guilt at his traitorous heart that had beat beyond its lifetime. He could see the Doctor was in pain, and his eyes glowed golden. He turned his head, the soft sand beneath his sore skull.

"Your turn," Jack whispered through dry lips.


	2. Chapter 2

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 2**

_When he returned to the consol room he heard a deep gasp as Jack came back to life, the TARDIS didn't like that and juddered dangerously, the Doctor managed to keep his mug of tea from spilling._

"_Here you are, Jack. Nice warm cuppa."_

_Jack tried to stutter something in return, but settled for just taking the tea. The ice had begun to melt from his hair now and was dripping off his nose. He gulped down the tea and a little colour began to flourish in his cheeks. His eyes were apparently their gooey selves again as they flicked nervously from the Doctor to the cup of tea to his own shaking hands._

"_You shouldn't have come," Jack managed when he was almost fully defrosted._

"_Oh," said the Doctor, a little concerned._

_Jack barked an angry laugh._

"_You come now, but not when we needed you - when the Earth needed you."_

_The Doctor didn't say anything. He'd been to the future earth and knew what had happened, but by then it was set, it was the dawn of human understanding of life beyond earth, an important moment, unalterable. And Jack's role was as set as the Doctor's sacrifice all those lifetimes ago: his planet for the universe…_

"_I couldn't," the Doctor muttered, the rest was left unsaid, but Jack understood. He had tried to track the Doctor after he had left Earth, months after he had sacrificed his grandson for the lives of millions of children across the world. And he knew what the galaxy whispered, he knew of the Time War and of Gallifrey's end._

_Jack nodded, and clasped the Doctor's offered hand as he got up. He would try to forget, it was just a memory now._

"_How long had you been there?" asked the Doctor, knowing it had been an act of repentance._

_Jack looked at his watch._

"_Just a cat-nap really, a dozen years." he replied, slightly shocked himself. He imagined Gwen's child would be almost 12, and with a stab in his gut he thought of how old Stephen would have been._

_The Doctor was silent for a moment, then the TARDIS whirred in reminder._

"_Oh yes," he said, grinning mischievously at Jack, his hands in his trouser pockets "How's the biggest party in the universe sound?"_

_Jack genuinely smiled. He looked down at his jacket, ripped where it had frozen to the rocks and sodden now the ice was melting._

_The Doctor put his glasses on and inspected it._

"_Yeah," he said thoughtfully, Jack thought he was going to sew it for a moment "I've got a few of them somewhere."_

_Jack smiled again._

_

* * *

_

"Your turn," Jack whispered through dry lips.

The Doctor barked a humourless laugh, emitting golden dust as energy again swept through his body, swelling into light as he dug his nails into the sand.

"They're all dead," the Doctor sighed as the energy again deserted him.

"They always die," replied Jack, the syllables falling heavy.

Energy shot out of the Doctor, brighter than any of the golden spasms so far. Jack shielded his eyes with his arm, he felt the energy burn him, and he sensed how dangerous the Doctor could be - while so bright.

* * *

_A bright light shone on Jack and the Doctor as they walked into the room. Jack blinked and as his eyes adjusted saw the Doctor's silhouette turn round and grin at him._

"_Welcome to the opening party of the 811th__ Universal Olympics," rang the Doctor as robotic voices chirped something to the same effect._

_Jack's eyes grew wide and his face animated as he saw the sheer size of the room, decorated in intricate detail with gold, red, blue and purple. The walls were made entirely of glass, with huge drapes of rich hue bunched at intervals, they looked out to space on either side, with a magnificent view of a galaxy scattered out into the darkness - and the end of the room was not in sigh, like a hall of mirrors. Large round tables lined the windows on each side of the expansive room, seating about 20 each. Down the middle was a large red carpet that expanded into the distance, and as Jack watched, it moved the people at speed to where they were going, travelling both forwards and backwards on alternate sides._

_And the people, they were all different shapes, sizes and colours - most with clearly distinctive evolutionary histories. Some walked gracefully, others crawled haphazardly, most were seated (on various ergonomic chair designs) and were dressed in what they must have considered as 'fine attire'; which generally, in the alien world, translated as shiny, or big._

"_I've never heard of the Universal Olympics" said Jack clearly awestruck as the Doctor showed a robot assistant a legitimate invitation and some psychic paper._

"_Quite exclusive in their species, humanoid generally doesn't do well against -" a creature apparently made entirely of muscle loomed over them and walked with surprisingly light feet towards the red carpet where he was zoomed off - "well against the rest of the universe."_

_Jack gave a fearful grin._

"_They tried inviting an ostridge to the last one," continued the Doctor as he took a drink from a hovering serving tray, "didn't work out, but it came 4__th__."_

_Jack followed the Doctor onto the conveyer belt carpet. It pulled them forward at speed, the tables and people passed by in a blur and the windows became continuous, interrupted only by the flash of coloured curtains - it was like flying forwards in space during a coloured thunderstorm. Then it stopped, and shapes swam before his eyes._

"_Here we are," chirped the Doctor as they left the expansive carpet and headed towards a large round table. Jack looked back along the carpet and noticed that the room wasn't just a long tunnel, but curved ever so slightly. Out of the window Jack could see the curve more clearly, the grey of the space ship spanned just out of sight and returned again._

"_Does this place go full circle?" Jack asked._

_The Doctor grinned._

"_Brilliant, isn't it? Symbolism's a little obvious, but it's a nice design."_

_They seated themselves at a table with half the seats still vacant. Most of the occupants welcomed them enthusiastically. There was a blue couple with Medusa hair, a man who looked very human except for a large beak instead of a nose and beady eyes like a hawk, he cocked his head to the side and stared at Jack. On the other side there were three women whose hair was unnaturally suspended in curls above there head, they had vacant looks on their faces and shiny skin, they seemed to produce a gentle breeze around the table. Then there was a woman with two young children that appeared perfectly human but for their bright purple eyes and deep red hair. _

"_Hello," said the Doctor cheerfully shaking the hands of those around him._

_Jack picked up the name plate in his own place while the Doctor learned everybody's name._

"_Susan?" he asked doubtfully, when the Doctor finally sat down, "I don't think I look like a Susan."_

_The Doctor gave him a weak smile._

"_They won't check, it's an automatic rota of invites, I was here a long time ago…lifetimes ago._

_Jack put the name down again, sensing that Susan wouldn't be showing up. He glanced at the Doctor's, it read "Doctor Who"._

"_It was a rather confusing conversation," grinned the Doctor seeing Jack's interest._

_Most the other tables in sight were filled by now, but others remained fairly empty - seats that had been filled all those years ago. A polite bell rang and those still standing took their seats in a hurry._

_Then the music began._

_A marching drum beat was struck by a procession of immensely muscular women, like the mythical Amazons except more fearsome that what Jack had ever imagined. Deep music accompanied the beat. They were twice as tall as an ordinary human, but maintained a proportioned humanoid shape. They would have interested Jack, but there eyes were stony cold, and they beat the drums so loudly that the sound enveloped the room._

_DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM_

_The Doctor sat up straight and his eyes widened in fear. He had sensed something in the echoic silence between the drums. Dancers emerged from nowhere, slim and agile they danced to the beat._

_DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM_

"_The drums," he whispered fearfully, Jack turned to look at him._

"_The Master," Jack echoed the name that burned in the Doctor's mind._

* * *

The golden energy encompassed the Doctor, his body arched and rose into the air, leaving marks where his fingers had clawed at the red sand, where his converse had dug into the cool earth beneath, but all was swallowed in the light that now emitted from the Doctor's body. He couldn't scream, but he would have. When he'd turned into a human he had screamed, and this was worse, nature knows just where to poke and it seemed that every atom of his being was a victim. Then suddenly it stopped and he fell unfeelingly back to the red sand, and the golden energy washed away, taking with it the pain to glut on another death, or perhaps another birth.

The new Doctor opened his eyes afresh to an old universe.

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

**Thanks for reading :) Please review!**

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Very minor spoilers for the 11th Doctor's outfit - if you haven't seen the pictures :)**

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter 3**

_He could sense the Master now. The dancers were suddenly sinister as the room was darkened and they became shadows with luminous masks that goaded , mourned and jeered out of the darkness, pulsing, beating to the drumbeat._

"_It is returning through the dark"_

_The music stopped and the dancers stood like gargoyles along the edge of the red carpet. The Doctor was reminded of the Weeping Angels, their lit faces waited in the dark._

"_And then Doctor…oh but then…"_

_DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM - the drums ended the song with immense force._

"_He will knock four times"_

"_WELCOME, ALL!" declared the new voice of the Master from the masks of the dancers. It was light-hearted, almost jovial - but through the gaping masks of motionless dancers it was menacing._

_There was scattered applause throughout the room, but people were clearly disturbed by the heaviness of the darkness upon them._

"_WELCOME, DOCTOR!" shouted the dancers with a disturbing tone._

_Nobody clapped this time, but looked around in alarm, the reflected light of the dancers highlighting the anxiety in their faces._

"_Knock-knock-knock-knock" the Master seemed to have tapped a microphone, "Is this thing on?" the dancers recited with a malicious laugh - a laugh the Doctor had known since childhood. A laugh that held nothing but pain._

_

* * *

_

The new Doctor opened his eyes afresh to an old universe. He slid his tongue over new teeth. Jack leaned over him.

"I'm sorry," the new Doctor looked at Jack, "I'm so…" the words seemed unnatural to his new form.

Jack nodded, "Let's forget."

"I could do that," said the Doctor solemnly, "I can make you forget."

_The Doctor turned towards him, a madness in his eyes._

_They burned…_

Jack paused a moment and looked at his hands, the red sand clung to his sweat like dried blood.

'_Uncle Jack!' Steven ran towards him._

He shook his head.

"I couldn't," muttered Jack, "I need to remember."

They were silent a moment while events settled themselves into the past.

The past is relative, thought the Doctor…sometime all was still to happen.

_Dum-dum-dum-dum_

The past is gone, thought Jack.

He grinned at the Doctor.

"So, you're number what? - five? Six?"

"11, actually," returned the Doctor, his tone lighter now.

Jack whistled, impressed.

"What colour's my hair? The Doctor asked looking towards his fringe which hung large and brown over his forehead, "Oh," he sighed, disappointed, "I was hoping for ginger…ginger" he repeated, tasting the new accent "ginger, do I sound Scottish?"

Jack laughed.

"A little." he deliberated.

The Doctor stood up slowly, Jack rose with him, supporting him by the elbow.

"I like it," Jack declared as the Doctor raised his eyebrows and fiddled with his hair, "But, man are you young! You make me feel old," he finished with a mutter.

"I'm going senile, I'll be a child next."

Jack laughd.

"I feel," the Doctor began, feeling at his torn collar, "I feel…I need a dickie bow…and…and tweed!"

Jack stared at the man. The Doctor's dark shock of hair flapped in the wind.

Jack looked releived and nodded slowly in understanding.

"Yep, still old."

They stood, and although each felt weak and brittle, both felt painfully anchored to life, and each understood the emptiness of the tundra that stretched bleakly to the horizon. The red sand shifted and heaved into waves that rippled the landscape, blown by the warm, dusty wind.

"Where are we?" asked Jack, squinting at the large sun that loomed unnaturally over the planet.

The Doctor paused and squinted at the looming sun. His face was angular, but handsome, his skin fresh and pale.

"Gallifrey," he answered.

Jack frowned and pivoted to look directly at the new Doctor, but he had already turned away from the empty world.

He had turned, reluctantly, back towards the TARDIS, it was like the running shoes of a tired man, but it was his nature now to run. He didn't want to look at it - with its beckoning door that had opened onto such worlds - beyond his thoughts as a child on this very planet; but he couldn't look at the bleak landscape now either.

"Err - Doctor!"

The Doctor spun round, his torn and burnt clothes feeling unnatural on his more muscular body. The patch of disturbed sand where he had regenerated now glowed golden, and it was beginning to seep into the red sand around in.

"These things never go well," the Doctor lamented and kicked some sand on top of the golden centre, like a feeble attempt to put out a fire, where it was instantly absorbed into the golden sand.

"Well the gold is…nice too," noted Jack hopefully.

The Doctor looked confused.

"A planet can't regenerate," he said fearfully.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Let me know what you think, this is my first Doctor Who fanfic :) and the new outfit? I think it's quite adorable :D**


	4. Chapter 4

"_Oh Doctor, give us a wave then," sang the dancers in the deep voice of the Master._

"_Master," the Doctor said with sad anger, the dancers turned their heads to look at him. The room was silent, but for the young girl on the Doctor's table who was crying quietly into her mother's chest._

_The dancers laughed._

"_That's right, Doctor."_

"_You burned…you can't have regenerated -"_

" '_Ay, think so till experience change thy mind' " the dancers chuckled._

"_Then show yourself!" spat the Doctor standing now, Jack stood at his side and reached for his gun which he was pleased to feel hummed gently at his touch despite its time frozen._

_The Doctor stepped forward towards the edge of the ring of dancers, their large masks suspended in the darkness, and their long limbs were mere streaks of colour hanging at their sides, like puppets._

"_SHOW YOURSELF," spat the Doctor, looking round, the lights of the dancers span in the corner of his eyes._

"_Oh but Doctor, I'm already here"_

_The dancers cackled and began to glide at speed along the sides of the red carpet, their lights appeared to merge into an impenetrable wall as they moved faster and faster, shining brighter._

_Jack glanced out the window and saw the stream of lights moving through the furthest windows of the ship. The Doctor had stepped back from the dancers now, people all along the tables were screaming of cowering, some sat frozen, others now had their backs against the glass in an attempt to get as far away from the dancers as possible._

_The continued cackling of the dancers drowned out most of the screams, and it seemed to be reaching a crescendo now, even the Doctor had shielded his eyes as the speeding wall of light grew brighter._

_The Master's voice began to ring out in a manic sing-song manner._

"_The danger must be growing_

_Are the fires of Hell a-glowing_

_Is the grisly reaper mowing?_

_Yes! The danger must be growing…"_

_Then Captain Jack Harkness let out a muffled shot from his gun, hitting one of the dancers directly through the forehead and everything stopped at once, and the brightness faded._

_Silence reined, and the lights of the lone dancer crumpled to the floor like its strings had been cut. Moments passed ,with only the distant screams from those out of sight to be heard._

"_Was that out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factor?" asked the Doctor incredulously, his stony face relaxing._

"_Yes," came the lone voice of a man from somewhere near by, "You know how much I like that film, Doctor."_

_The Doctor's face became serious again, he turned to Jack, the dim light shining off his features. Jack shrugged and looked guiltily at his gun - had he done the right thing?_

_The dancers on either side of the Doctor's table parted, the light they emitted increased, illuminated the figure before them with a sinister blue light, the dead dancer was crumpled between them and the red carpet on which the figure stood shone a deep purple in the light._

_The Master stepped forward. He was younger than before, and skinny with dark, unkempt brown hair and deep brown eyes that held the same obsessive madness. His cheeks were hollow, his face handsome but for the madness that was clear in his widening smile. He was wearing a plain black suit, the tie undone and hanging round his neck, the top two buttons open, the sleeves rolled up._

_Then the smile disappeared suddenly._

"_Doctor," he said._

"_Master," returned the Doctor, with clear hatred for using the name._

_Jack shot at the Master. A light flashed in front of them and when they re-opened their eyes another dancer lay dead on the floor, having dived faster than the bullet in front of the Master._

"_Cool," said the Master, kicking the dancer onto its back. "Although, Jack" he emphasised the name in a sinister-playful manner, "you'll regret that when you find out who they are."_

_The Doctor crouched next to the dancer closest to them and slowly lifted off the mask, it felt like it would to pull the shell off a snail._

_Underneath was a female, human face, with veins unnaturally running from her hairline and spanning around her heart shaped face. There was a clear bullet hole in the side of her head._

"_A few thousand humans I picked up in the 51st__ century," said the Master._

_Jack looked horrified, and lowered his gun slightly, the Doctor stood again and glared at the Master._

"_Oh don't look like that," mewed the Master, "There were millions of others left, and I'm pretty sure these aren't quite dead, although they didn't take to mind control."_

_The Master grinned._

"_Well, it was that or…"_

_Somewhere further down the room somebody tried to run through the barricading dancers, there was a shot of light and screams again filled the room. The dancers were electrically charged. Out the window such flashes could be seen in other parts of the long, circular room._

"_Oh quiet down," spat the Master, but the screaming continued. He reached into his pocket and drew out a microphone._

"_QUIET!" he shouted into it, and it was shouted by the dancers. The room was quiet again, with only a few distanced screams and muffled wails._

"_That's better," he said light-heartedly._

"_How are you here?" said the Doctor._

_The Master merely felt the ring on his finger, the stone shone in the blue light._

_The Doctor nodded sadly._

"_What is it?" asked Jack._

"_Remember how a fob-watch can contain the consciousness of a Time Lord? Well certain rings are able to contain the regenerative energy of a Time Lord. It meant he didn't die forever in my arms, and he knew it," the Doctor's stony face relaxed momentarily as he looked at Jack, "very Harry Potter," Jack gave him a bemused look, "…like a horcrux? Never mind."_

"_Oh but what a heart-felt goodbye it was, Doctor!" he laughed. _

_The Doctor stared back; fire in his eyes._

"_I win," the Master cackled, "But now, to business!" _

_The smile dropped from his face as he held up a sonic-screwdriver. He pressed a button, it clicked and extended. The Doctor and Jack took a sharp step backwards._

"_Oh wait -" muttered the Master, "I had something else in mind first." _

_Madness shone in his eyes as the sonic-screwdriver was returned to his pocket._

_He clapped his hands four times._

"_Do you remember the drums, Doctor?" the madness stared starkly out of the Master's eyes.._

"_I can help you -"_

"_NO, Doctor. Just listen," he smiled maliciously._

_The dancers around the room began to mimic the clap; the drums that had turned the Master mad._

_The clapping grew louder and surrounding the Doctor on all sides, the drums from earlier began to beat the rhythm loudly, and it echoed incredibly loud through the room. Engulfing him._

_Jack covered his ears, and the people all around the tables did the same with painful grimaces on their faces._

_The Doctor couldn't raise his hands to block out the sound, he fell to his knees._

"_That's it Doctor," the Master shouted encouragingly, although his voice was mostly lost between the drumming, "can you feel it?"_

_The Doctor was on all fours now, his hearts were mimicking the beating rhythm._

_DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM_

_The Master clapped again and the drumming stopped._

_The silence felt unnatural._

"_Doctor?" Jack said edging towards the Doctor, his gun back in its holster, his ears buzzing slightly._

_But all the Doctor could hear was his twin hearts beating._

_Dum-dum-dum-dum_

_He looked to Jack and leaned back on his knees, he run his hands through his hair, and laughed._

_The Master laughed too now. The Doctor's eyes were shining with the same madness._


	5. Chapter 5

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter Five**

"_Give me your gun, Jack," the Doctor said, a smile still playing on his face. The Master was trying to stifle a laugh._

_Jack hesitated, but he trusted the Doctor and so he reached into his holster and handed the Doctor his gun._

_It looked natural in the Doctor's grip, and he starred at it lovingly. Jack had never seen him with a weapon, it was something he had hated vehemently since Jack had known him._

"_Thank you, Jack," said the Doctor sadly, then he looked Jack in the eyes and shot him in the shoulder._

_Jack fell to the floor and looked in shock at the Doctor, but before he could stutter a question, the Doctor shot him another four times - purposefully keeping him alive, toying with his pain._

_The Master burst out laughing now, and the Doctor smiled like a clever child. Then the Doctor turned and shot at the nearest person at the table, it was the man with the beak - his face hit the table and the others screamed, the man grunted in pain. He went to shoot again but was over come with a laughing fit like the Master's and stumbled into one of the barricading dancers._

_He immediately felt the electricity pulse through him and sparks burst like lightening as he touched the dancer. _

_His hearts jolted and stopped._

_The Master found this incredibly funny._

_Then the Doctor sat up, his hair standing a little more on end than usual, his clothes smouldering, his hearts beating once again in their normal rhythm. The drumming had faded, his eyes returned to their aching sanity. He stood, and as the tears of laughter were rubbed from the Master's eyes he saw the stony face of the Doctor , standing now, before him._

"_Oh," he said, "well that didn't last long."_

_The Doctor loomed sadly over Jack._

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said with heavy sadness._

_Jack nodded, knowing what had to be done._

_The Doctor raised the gun and shot Jack in the head. Then he opened up the gun with an eerily practiced and tore out its 51__st__ century components, and he threw it to the floor with disdain._

"_Oh my God, you killed Kenny!" giggled the Master, "but, back to business!" the Master rang, reaching once again for the sonic screw driver in his pocket._

"_What - ?" the Doctor shouted as the Master again clicked a button and the screwdriver extended._

"_Bang," explained the Master, raising his eyebrows in wonder that the Doctor hadn't already grasped this simple idea._

_The Doctor swiftly aimed his own sonic screwdriver, but the Master merely smiled._

"_Screw you, Doctor," he punned with a stifled laugh, "mine's bigger."_

_The Doctor's screwdriver whirred and burst into flames, burning the Doctor's hand - he looked aghast as it fell to the floor._

_Jack heaved a breath and sat up straight._

"_Oh just in time, Captain," saluted the Master._

_Jack grimaced a frown._

"_Bang," explained the Master again, nodding his head towards the sonic screwdriver raised dramatically above his head._

_He went to press the red button on the side -_

"_Oh but first," said the Master, he reached into his other pocket and twiddled a small device, the red carpet began to shift. _

_There was a moment of awkward silence, the kind normally filled by elevator music. The Master grinned a 'bear-with-me' smile and rolled his eyes._

_The Doctor took his moment, technology was useless now - the Doctor ran at the Master. They would fight as they had when they were children, but with contempt now._

_A dancer jumped before him and struck the Doctor with its electrical body. Both fell to the floor._

_The Doctor groaned and faced the Master._

"_Down boy! I did warn you Doctor! You've stood before and watched…watched them all burn. Watch now, Doctor."._

_Then the TARDIS appeared at speed along the carpet, and stopped next to the Master. It was what he'd been waiting for._

"_My escape!" he smiled "what am I like?"_

_Then he pressed the button._

_

* * *

_

They both stepped quickly backwards as the new golden sand started to tremble and rise in lumps, only to collapse and swell again. It started to take shape - the shape of a person. A young boy began to climb out of the sand, glowing golden with the hot, trembling sand still upon him. The sand fell from his face and hair first, and a thin, handsome face emerged with a shock of dark hair. The boy scrambled out of the sand as though being chased, his bright blue eyes were fearful. Jack stepped backwards as the unearthly child emerged.

The boy stood on thin legs, still facing the golden pit from which he had emerged his expression was hidden by his thick hair, but the Doctor sensed strong emotions of fear and intrigue - it was what drove him to run. The golden sand seemed to have stopped engulfing the red planet, and was sunken now in the middle where the child had been spat out. The boy ran towards the Doctor and Jack, still looking back he hadn't seemed to notice them, and he pelted directly into Jack who was fumbling backwards over the sand in an effort to avoid the child.

The boy bumped into the man and fell backwards to the floor. Sand stuck in his thick hair like stars, his tanned face looked up at the two men.

"Doctor -" Jack started, without taking his eyes off the child, but the child was looking intently at the Doctor.

The Doctor crouched down and looked the boy in the eyes. It had made both his hearts squirm. At first sight he had though it was his son - a son from lifetimes ago, long gone. But this boy was older, although he looked only about eight, he was much, much older in the Doctor's mind.

Jack automatically pulled out his gun, it was cold to his touch, not working anymore, but he held it up anyway.

"Who are you?" asked Jack, breaking the lifeless sound of the tundra.

The boy's eyes flicked fearfully at Jack, who sighed and softened his tone.

"What's your name?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but the Doctor stood up quickly and silenced the boy with a glance.

"Put it away Jack," the Doctor said tiredly seeing Jack's broken gun.

Jack hesitated.

"He can't hurt us," the Doctor said loudly, "He's just a memory," and he walked towards the TARDIS.

A short temper? Is this who I am, wondered the Doctor.

Jack stood there rather bemused.

"A memory? Memories are dangerous, Doctor," Jack shouted as the Time Lord moved with renewed vigour towards the TARDIS, he silently cursed not getting a more talkative Doctor.

"I know," the Doctor returned sorrowfully.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Thanks for reading :) The next chapter will be the last, coming soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Footsteps in the Sand**

**Chapter Six**

_Deep bangs erupted from far off, the Doctor and Jack spun to see out the window a distant spec of fire engulf the room on the far side; it grew fast, moving swiftly through the room, growing larger and enveloping all. The dancers were exploding, falling like dominoes._

_Screams engulfed the room before the fire. So many had already died, and the Doctor was consumed by it. There was nowhere to run in a circular room._

_The Master clicked his fingers and the TARDIS door opened as it would only for a Time Lord. He looked around._

"_It was supposed to be quicker than that…ah well - ta-ra Doctor!"_

_The Doctor dived at the Master before he could enter the TARDIS. They both toppled to the floor and the Doctor punched him hard on the head, holding him down between his legs. The Master surged forwards and the Doctor lost his balance, he tried to drive his knee into the Master's side but an elbow hit his face and he fell back. The Master stood quickly and kicked the Doctor in the stomach until the Doctor grabbed his foot and kicked him in the other shin. The Master fell to the ground again, but managed to boot the Doctor in the head._

_Blood erupted from the Doctor's nose and as he stood and loomed over the Master it fell onto his already bruised and blooded face. He leaned his knee into the Master's chest pushing the air out and the Master coughed and tried to push him off, the Doctor punched him again, but as he shifted his balance the Master rolled them both over and began punching the Doctor about the head. The Doctor kicked out at the Master, pushing them apart and they both scrambled to their feet. The Master fled towards the open TARDIS doors, but as the Doctor had got to his feet he had grabbed the broken gun and threw it directly at the Master's head - it cracked on the Master's skull and he fell to the floor unconscious._

_The fire was in sight now at either end of the room. What was visible out the window was now completely enveloped. He would save who he could._

_He reached into the Master's pocket and pressed the red button again. The fire stopped spreading at the same speed as the dancers stopped erupting, but fire still consumed the rest of the room._

_He would get those left into the TARDIS. He dropped the sonic screwdriver without a second thought and he and Jack attempted to shout over the screaming for all the people to follow them, people began to scramble over chairs and tables to get through the dancers, who were inane without the Master's control. The growing group ran behind the Doctor and Jack towards the TARDIS, but then the Doctor stopped only a few metres from the beckoning door of the TARDIS._

_The Master was sitting up, the sonic screw-driver back in his bruised and bloodied hand. He grinned and pressed the button. The dancers exploded as they had done throughout the room, and fire cascaded around them, quickly engulfing them all. The Doctor looked directly into the Master's eyes, the smoke between them couldn't muffle the Master's madness or the Doctor's grief. The Master stumbled into a run directly towards the TARDIS, the Doctor and Jack followed, running through the fire and burning now as all the others had._

_The air around the TARDIS was the only patch not on fire, it seemed the shields were protecting her and those within reach; the Master, the Doctor and Jack hurtled into the small smoke filled clearing one after the other. Before the Master could reach the door the Doctor tackled him and they both fell into the fire._

_Jack stood next to the door, bouncing in frustration as he waited for the Doctor to emerge, he could see them scuffling in the flickering flames - surviving in heat no human could. He reached for his gun on the floor, intent on killing the Master, but he couldn't get a clear shot. He put it away and hesitated only a moment before he dived into the flames after them - the heat was unbearable now, it had completely consumed the room but for the protective bubble of the TARDIS. The Doctor stood over the Master, the flames avoiding them both - the Master likely had some device, but to Jack it seemed to frame the Time Lords' power. He grabbed the Doctor's tense arm, he seemed resistant to move, staring so intently down at the unconscious form of the Master._

"_Doctor!"_

_The Doctor reached to grab the Master, he would save him at least. But the flames broke in on them now, scorching his skin. He tried to drag the Master with him, unable to lift him off the floor, but the fire burned them now, and Jack was calling him although he couldn't hear his voice anymore._

_He would stay, burn with the last, as the last._

_Jack grabbed his face in burnt hands, and their eyes locked._

"_Doctor, we need you."_

_An eternity of thought passed in a millisecond, he blinked and allowed himself to be lead away by Jack's strong grip on his arm. His eyes never left the Master's body. They ran back towards the TARDIS, hurtled through the doors and into the cool metal of the consol room. The door slammed shut behind them, and the flames couldn't be heard, only the soft hum of the TARDIS rearing to go._

"_Home," said the Doctor as he collapsed next the Jack, it was the one reliable place the TARDIS could take him on her own, without him at the controls._

_The TARDIS whirred and began to shake violently, Jack was breathing in sharp gasps, his skin scorched and cut by the explosions, then he stopped gasping for breath and was still._

_It was just the Doctor now, and he screamed in grief and pain while the TARDIS shivered._

* * *

"Memories are dangerous, Doctor," Jack shouted as the Time Lord moved with renewed vigour towards the TARDIS, he silently cursed not getting a more talkative Doctor.

"I know," the Doctor returned sorrowfully, "we're leaving - now."

The boy scuffled to his feet.

"Is that a TARDIS?" he asked awestruck.

The Doctor and Jack looked at the boy, who was walking towards the TARDIS. Jack looked confused, but the Doctor looked tense.

"Doctor, is - ?" Jack moved closer to the Doctor.

"I think he's me," the Doctor answered simply, not looking at Jack. He shook his head, "Just a memory imprint, he's not even substantial. I can feel him weakly in my consciousnesses. It was the residual energy from the regeneration, and this planet -" he scuffed his foot in the blood red sand, "it's dust and ashes." The last word caught in his throat and he placed his hand on the TARDIS door. It hummed gently at his touch.

The boy had stopped in front of him.

"Why is your TARDIS blue?" he asked with wide eyes.

The Doctor tried to ignore him, and went to step into the TARDIS.

"Why are you on your own?" asked the boy trying to tiptoe and peep through the door.

The Doctor stopped. He turned and looked at the child, who had yet to - moments from his life flashed through his mind; his deaths, their deaths…the wars.

_The Master lay at his feet as they were both engulfed in flames._

_He would die with him, burn with the last as the last._

"Jack, we're leaving," The Doctor said cautiously, he walked into the TARDIS without looking back, Jack followed close behind him, the boy stood there both vulnerable and powerful.

Jack closed the door gently behind him. The new Doctor was already running around the TARDIS, with a different kind of movement to the previous Doctor, pulling levers, spinning buttons, pressing digits.

"Setting…course…for - Cardiff" rang the Doctor between jabs at the controls.

"Cardiff?" questioned Jack, there was nothing left there for him. The Doctor gave him a look - where else?

"Right," Jack nodded sadly, "Cardiff."

The Doctor sat in the consol chair with his feet up on the TARDIS controls. Jack saw the stony look on his face, one he recognised from both the previous Doctors.

"Jack, put the kettle on, I'm dieing for a cuppa," the Doctor called, running his hand tiredly over his new features, as Jack headed deeper into the TARDIS. Not bad, he thought feeling his strong chin, and young he noted with some disappointment - they would never take him seriously.

The TARDIS whirred; the consol room was empty now. The Doctor turned on the monitor, it showed the deep red of Gallifrey, and the small child standing in the sand. The Doctor watched as the child reached towards the TARDIS with small fingers. He pulled his hand away sharply as the solid form burnt his skin, the wind caught him now and golden dust was taken from his body. He looked directly at the monitor and spoke.

The Doctor sat up as he watched the child's lips move, he reached for the volume on the side of the monitor and the child's voice rang through the TARDIS, chanting remnants of memories in dead voices.

"_Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye, my dear"_

"_Donna Nobel, I am so sorry…goodbye"_

_"I'm not just a Time Lord, I'm the last of the Time Lords"_

"_Rose Tyler, I…"_

"_It can't end like this -- you and me, all the things we've done"_

_"REGENERATE"_

"_This is the way the world ends_

_This is the way the world ends_

_This is the way the world ends…"_

"…Not with a bang but a whimper." finished the Doctor, as the child turned back into dust, leaving nothing but footsteps in the sand.

Jack walked slowly towards the Doctor and handed him a large mug of tea. He nodded his thanks.

"T. S. Eliot," said Jack "The -"

"Hollow Men," completed the Doctor.

He turned off the monitor and caught his new reflection in the black screen, his eyes filled with tears and flashed with the moving lights of the TARDIS.

Not quite hollow, he thought, not yet.

Even the Doctor can't win every time.

He pulled a lever and set the TARDIS into motion.

Wouldn't stop him trying.

"_Run," _whispered the final memory.

* * *

Somewhere deep in space, fire had engulfed the inside of a huge circular ship, the air filters traitorously fuelled it with oxygen and it burned to dust all that was inside. Soon a crack appeared in the ship's wall which widened and eventually opened onto space - all air was taken from the room in a moment and the fire drowned in emptiness. The ship broke apart, and ashes were scattered like the shadows of stars into the deep black of space.

A ring floated innocently by; with a stone that shone unnaturally golden in the thick darkness.

**The End**

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading, and thanks for the reviews :) Hope you enjoyed it!**


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